Birthday Surprise!
by Mrs.Northman
Summary: This is my birthday gift to you all. I figure this is the best way for us to celebrate together. It's Sookie's birthday and Eric has a surprise for her...will it really work out for the best or will our favorite Viking find himself in over his head?


Sookie had a weakness, and Eric knew it. He was not like most men who would try to take up the slack of his mate's short comings. No, he was going to exploit it for all it was worth because push, come to shove, he would always look after himself. He had a thousand years ingrained into him and just because he's changed a little doesn't mean that he can erase the very essence of his being. Like everything else in his recent life, he had to adapt. Being with Sookie hasn't changed who he is in the least bit...it just made him a bit more devious. He never lied to her or withheld any information she asked for so it never came back to haunt him. He was who he was.

There was something he wanted to do tonight but he knew he couldn't have Sookie anywhere near him while he was preparing. He had Pam come and occupy her for exactly one hour and forty-five minutes. That was the amount of time he calculated he would need in order to complete his work. She would be stunned...because after all Sookie had a weakness and he knew exactly how and where to strike. He would strike with a home made chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, and best of all...chocolate dipped _gracious plenty_. Tonight however didn't seem to be his night.

Nothing was going according to plan. He was a soldier and if he didn't know anything he knew how to take and give order, granted he's been giving a lot more than taking in his existence. He went over the instructions that lay half obscured by flour.

_Preheat oven to three hundred and fifty degrees._Check.

_ Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. _Check.

_In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together._Check.

_Add eggs and vanilla. _Check.

_In another bowl__,__ combine butter milk, sour cream, and coffee then add it to the eggs and vanilla. _Check.

_Add dry ingredients to wet. _This is where it all began to go wrong. After a moment to look at the settings Eric turned the hand mixer on high, but before he could even come in contact with the dry ingredients he was engulfed in a light brown cloud that turned wet when the mixer made contact with the liquid ingredients too. Batter was everywhere but does a true soldier ever stop in the mounting odds of the opposition? No! So Eric kept stirring the ingredients. When they looked done he stopped and separated what was left of his batter into three buttered pans.

He wasn't quite sure what it meant when the instructions told him to grease the pans so he did each pan differently and thought he would put the best one on the top. In the first one he melted a half a stick of butter and rolled it all around the pan. Then he unrolled the parchment paper he had to go to a specialty art store to get and he cut it to size and stuck it in the pan. It said to butter and flour the pan so he melted the other half of the butter and poured it on top of the parchment paper. Once again he rolled the melted butter all over the parchment paper and repeated the same motions with the flour. On the second pan Eric cut up a stick of butter into little cubes and spread them around the pan. He laid another piece of parchment paper on top of the little butter cubes before placing the remaining half of the little butter cubes on top then coating the whole thing in flour. In the third pan Eric rubbed the butter all over the bottom and sides of the pan before putting in the parchment paper. He then rubbed butter all over the parchment paper.

The third one looked to be the neatest to him so that's the one he was planning to put on top. Once he had the pans loaded into the hot oven, he moved back to the counter so that he could work on the icing. He took out his block of chocolate and broke it into small pieces. He had tried to use the knife to chop but after he cut himself twice and almost took off his ring finger once he threw it in the sink. He wondered for a moment if he should fly to the store and get more chocolate so that her surprise wouldn't be laced with his blood but he soon decided against that plan...Sookie loved the way his blood tasted. She would never admit it but he felt it when she drank from him. He placed the glass bowl of chocolate over his boiling water so that it could melt.

He got a new bowl from out of the cabinet, leaving a muddy hand print on every surface and dish within his immediate vicinity. He got the eggs from the refrigerator and cracked it to get the white out. The whole egg, yolk and all fell into his bowl. He grabbed a spoon to fish out the yolk but all he ended up doing was breaking it and smearing it. He threw the ruined egg into the sink before trying again. Instead of letting the whole egg drop he decided to try and catch the yolk in his free hand. So as soon as he cracked the egg he turned it on its side so that all the egg was in one side of the shell and he threw the other side over his shoulder, not caring to see where it landed. He then poured the egg into his free hand. He was triumphant...for a moment. The white of the egg easily fell through his fingers. A winning smile broke out over his face but it was premature. The yolk soon followed the rest of the egg into the bowl.

Huffing, Eric threw the ruined egg into the sink as he hastily brushed his golden locks out of his face. He tried over and over again but he just couldn't get the whites away from the yolk. Maybe he should actually pay attention to those cooking shows that Sookie is so very fond of...NAW he'd rather cut off his own arm. Egg after egg was discarded with each of his failures. Soon he was just pulverizing the eggs out of sheer frustration. He began just throwing them in the direction of the sink in his hurry to get to the next egg. How in the world was Sookie able to have the patience to do this every day? He just couldn't see where the soothing feeling came from for her. He felt it every time she was in the kitchen and it was a part of the reason why he decided to go down this slippery, eggy road. He was out of eggs...fuck.

Eric went back to the refrigerator to see if Sookie had some eggs of her own, but no he had went through those too and he hadn't even realized that he had gotten them out. He needed to go to the store. He turned to the stove to turn off his chocolate but saw that it was already melted so he just took it off the boiling water and sat it on the counter. He reread the instructions..._let chocolate cool to room temperature._ Perfect, he wouldn't have to worry about that. He looked at the timer and saw he still had half an hour to go before they were ready to come out. In the next moment he ran out of Sookie's front door at vampire speed and got in his car. He took off down the drive way sending small stones from the drive flying through the air towards the house.

It wasn't very long after sunset so he figured that the store should be open still. He was glad to see he was right. As he walked into the front doors he was glad to see that they didn't close until ten so if something else went wrong he would have time to come back. He all but ran down the isles to where he heard the gentle hum of refrigerators at the back of the store. There were still quite a few people in there, all looking at him with surprise, but he didn't care he was on a mission. He grabbed four dozen eggs instead of just one; hoping that he would be able to get what he needed from this many. He hurried to the clerk in order to check out. He was an older man and he gave Eric an understanding smile as he passed back his receipt. Eric didn't have time to analyze it as he wanted to, he had more important things to get back to, so he just moved as quickly as possible to his car and peeled out of the parking lot, narrowly missing a Volkswagon. Though in Eric's opinion, anyone who drove a Volkswagon deserved to be hit.

Eric pulled back into Sookie's drive way in less than two minutes. He grabbed the four dozens of eggs and jumped out of the car. He was almost to the steps when he saw it. The big window on the left side of the door was shattered. Jagged pieces of glass still clung to the frame but more than half of the window was missing...more than enough for an adult to get in. He dropped the eggs on the ground as he crouched into an attack pose. A menacing growl escaped his chest as he inhaled deeply to catch the sent of the trespasser, but there was no scent. He listened and tried to sense someone on the inside but he heard nothing and sensed no one. He was still alone. Not completely at ease yet Eric ran into the house searching every room and in the home but there was no one.

When he got back to the living room Eric went over to the window to try to find what exactly broke the window. He moved the curtains that danced in the blowing wind aside to find a small rock on the floor. He picked it up and smelled it, but no ones scent was on it. The rock was small. _Easily tossed by a car speeding away....._

"Fuck!" Eric said even though there was no one there to hear him. He touched the glass, it was old and cheap and he saw why it broke so easily. The remaining glass crumbled under his feather light touch. "They just don't make things like they fucking used to." He said to the wind, that was his only company.

It was then that he saw the boxes of eggs laying haphazardly on the ground where he left them in his haste to defend what didn't need to be defended...except maybe from his own stupidity. In the blink of an eye he was back out side gathering up the boxes. He took them into the kitchen and sat them on the counter to see how bad the damage was. Most of the eggs in all four of the cartons were broken. He counted and the ones that were useable totaled to eighteen. He left the unusable ones on the counter while taking the okay, but dusty, ones over to the sink to rinse off along with his hands. He noticed that his aim hadn't been so true and discarded eggs were everywhere in and around the sink. Rolling his eyes he turned away from the mess he made. He would able to still be done if he hurried.

He looked at the clock over the back door and saw that he had a little over fifteen minutes to get everything done before Pam arrived back with Sookie. He tried the gentle approach this time, but gentle didn't seem to be in a Vikings vocabulary when it came to separating eggs. Two minutes later he was once again in need of eggs. He ran his hands through his hair roughly in frustration and once again headed for the door. Just as he was about to close the front door he heard a loud ding that he knew came from the timer of the cakes. With another huff he ran back into the kitchen, donning the pot holders, and removed his cakes from the oven. They were dark and thin and there were yellow bubbles around the edges where the cake had pulled away from the pan. He didn't think that they were burned, but he wasn't exactly sure what a burned cake would smell like because Sookie never burned any...maybe it could be because of the chocolate powder that was in the batter...? He just didn't know if this was right or wrong because he didn't have a picture to go off of. He knew that the cakes Sookie has made didn't look like this but as far as he knew she had never made _this_ particular cake before.

He knew that he didn't have time to contemplate the dilemma of the possibly messed up cakes, he had to get back to the store for more eggs or his icing would never get done so he just left them on the counter. Three minutes later he was back in the store, walking past the same clerk that had checked him out earlier and was walking back to the refrigerators again. He was piling cartons of eggs in his arms again when he heard his name.

"Eric?" A woman's voice asked timidly. He looked up to see a familiar face that he couldn't place. He studied her features and then it came back to him...Sookie's friend Tara.

"Tara." He replied in acknowledgement before he continued piling egg carton's in his arms.

"What's happened to you?" She couldn't help but ask. She tried to steer clear of all vampires but she had seen Eric on certain occasions and he had never looked such a mess. His hair was matted with chocolate and something clear that made it stick in different directions. He had chocolate and flour and other powdery substances all over his face and clothes and here he stood loading a bazillion cartons of eggs in his arms like a madman. She knew that he was Sookie's boyfriend, if a vampire could ever be called a _boyfriend_, and she knew that if Sookie trusted him to then she could as well. After all Sookie trusted Bill and He has been a great boss to work for.

"I'm building a house." Eric said flatly. He hadn't like the silly woman since she drug Sookie into the whole episode with Mickey, that is if he was even capable of liking human that wasn't Sookie (hell even she was part Fae). "What does it look like I'm doing?"

She wanted to walk away from him but she knew that if she and Sookie were going to continue their friendship she would have to find a way to deal with Eric; she stated the obvious. "It looks like you got into a fight with food and the food won." Eric shot her a contemptuous glare and then turned away from her. She took a deep breath and decided to try one more time; if he ignored her again she could at least say that she honestly tried. "Look, unless you are having a party I highly doubt you need so many eggs. Just tell me what you're trying to do and I will try to help you."

Eric turned back to her. He didn't like her but he was short on time. He didn't see what he could do differently to get the right results even if he had a million more eggs. He rolled his eyes but did answer her. "I am making a cake for Sookie for her birthday. I need three fourths of a cup of egg whites but I do not know how to separate them, so I'm getting these for replacements. If you want to help me, then tell me how to separate the egg whites from the yolk."

Tara laughed. "How should I know, I've never been able to do it either." Eric growled at her menacingly and she cut her laughter short, which is something coming from a guy covered in food holding almost every egg carton the store had out. She raised her hands in surrender. "I can still help you though, just put those eggs down first." He didn't move. "Do you want to be able to finish or not?"

He thought about the window he needed to cover in the living room and the mess he needed to clean up in the kitchen. Not to mention him needing to take a shower, he knew he was almost out of time. He walked back over to the nearly empty display and replaced all the eggs he had taken then turned back to Tara.

"Follow me." Tara said as she turned and walked away from Eric. She led him over to another set of refrigerators and opened one. She plucked what she needed from it and turned back to Eric, holding what looked like a yellow milk carton out for him.

He took it and looked at it dubiously. "What is this?" He asked as he began to read the back. He got it a moment before she spoke the words.

"These are already separated egg whites." She told him with a triumphant smile. "It's how I get by without having to separate egg whites from egg yolks."

Eric turned his penetrating gaze back to the woman he didn't like and in that instant she became tolerable. He nodded to her and smiled before he turned away to go pay for his purchase. Normally Tara would have taken offense when someone didn't say thank you but from what she knew about Eric, this is as close as she would ever get. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember any vampire polite enough to say thank you...except Bill (but he was from the old south, he probably couldn't help himself).

"Smart move." The cashier said as he rung Eric up. He turned to put the money in the register and when he turned back to give him his change, Eric was gone.

Eric broke every traffic law in Bon Temps and made it back to Sookie's house in less than two minutes. He had less than ten to finish his icing. Glancing again at the flour covered instructions he quickly threw everything together. He measured out the egg whites, putting them in a glass bowl and setting them over the same boiling water on the stove that he used to melt his chocolate. The rest he blended hastily, spilling it over the sides and on the floor. He grabbed the glass bowl with the egg whites, forgetting the pot holders in his haste and he almost dropped them. He managed to keep hold until the bowl was over the counter.

The hand mixer spewed the contents of the bowl everywhere as he regained his balance. He turned it off and grabbed the egg whites again, this time with a pot holder, and poured it in to his mixture. Once that was mixed he did the same for the chocolate. It was a thick goop that he couldn't understand what about it drew women in...especially Sookie. Never the less he scraped the glass bowl clean and then returned to the hand mixer. When he was satisfied that everything was mixed correctly he grabbed the bowl and went to take it to the other side of the counter where the cakes were cooling when he lost his footing. Having vampire speed Eric reached out with his free hand and caught himself on the counter. That, however, didn't keep the chocolate in the bowl from sloshing onto his chest where he cradled it protectively. That was a close call.

"Jesus Christ Sheppard of Judea." Sookie's voice sounded in the quiet home. Eric froze, still in the forty-five degree angle he'd caught himself in not even a moment before. He'd been so focused on finishing that he didn't even hear Pam drop Sookie off. He quickly righted himself and chanced a glance at the clock above the door where Sookie's still stunned face stood. She was ten minutes late...fuck.

Sookie knew that Pam and Eric were up to something the moment they got to her doorstep. Eric staying with her was nothing new, just like her staying with Eric in Shreveport was old news. Eric insisting on staying at her house, plus Pam wanting to do the same, plus the fact that her birthday was the next day was just overkill. She knew she wasn't ivy league material but she didn't have the brain of a brick either. They were up to something.

She had made them both promise not to go overboard for her birthday. Pam argued with her fiercely citing the fact that she was now the Sheriff's Bonded and girlfriend, there needed to be a party befitting her status. She wanted to shut down Fangtasia for a night and throw a massive party that would take Sookie twelve lifetimes to pay off on her own if she worked every minute of everyday for the rest of her existence. Sookie stood her ground citing that just because she was Eric's girlfriend and bonded, didn't make her his kept woman. She didn't need a massive party that she didn't earn nor deserve. Pam's hands were tied and they both knew it. She threatened torture and humiliation and a thousand other things that they both knew Eric would never allow her to do. Sookie held firm and she won out.

Eric had been more stealthy with his arguments. He knew that she wanted him to be proud of her. She knew what position he was in and it both helped and hurt his cause to be with her. He was pragmatic and he used this to his advantage. He pretended to be in a bad mood for days, pulling away from Sookie and being short in their exchanges. He let enough of his mood show that he was bothered but not enough to hurt or scare her. It had the desired effect. Sookie showed up at Fangtasia after an upset Pam (as upset as Pam could ever be that it) called her begging her to do something about her Master. He was being very bad for business. He was kicking customers and refusing to sit on his throne and destroying property. Sookie was there within forty-five minutes.

When she arrived Eric was pacing in his office.

***************

_**FLASHBACK**_

_"What's going on Eric?" Sookie asked as she closed the door behind her and walked over to the couch. He didn't answer her, he just kept pacing. She let him pace, giving him five minutes to work out whatever was going on in his head before she grabbed his stapler and threw it at his head or asked him what was going on again...whichever._

_Five minutes later there was still not one word from Eric so she stood up and walked right in the path of his pacing. He didn't seem to notice that she was there until he collided with her. She was about to slam head first into his desk when his strong arms wrapped around her and kept her from a major concussion._

_"Lover when did you get here?" He asked, seeming genuinely surprised at her presence. _

_"Eric I've been here for more than five minutes." She replied as she steadied herself on her own feet. Eric, however, didn't let her go._

_He looked at her inquisitively. "Really?"_

_"Yes really." She huffed and pulled him to the couch. She thought it was safer for everyone (read _her_ for everyone) if the six foot five wall of muscle was sitting down while he was so preoccupied. He allowed her to pull him over to the couch and he sat down, pulling her into his lap. "Pam called me. She said you've been bad for business."_

_"She shouldn't have done that." He scowled. "It is not her place and we will talk about it later."_

_Sookie didn't like the way that sounded so she tried to intercede on her friend, and his child's, behalf. "Yes it is." She said. "If you're being bad for business then that is my business, and that means that Pam had every right to call me."_

_"And who are you, my mother?" Eric quipped, raising his eyebrow skeptically._

_"No, I'm not your mother. I'm your bonded." Sookie said. If Eric's heart was still beating it would have surely stopped at that moment. That was the first time she had pointed out her status as his bonded with all the actual authority it really did give her. "And as your bonded what is bothering you is bothering me. I know something's been going on with you and now it's time for you to spill."_

_Eric didn't answer her...she needed to be pushed just a wee bit further. He looked at her defiantly. _

_"If it were something that were bothering me this much would you let up until you found out?" She asked. She didn't realize that she had just hit the mark he wanted her to be at on the head. _

_"There's something I have to ask you to do but I don't want to. You've already displayed your dislike for the idea and I don't want you to think that I am trying to manipulate you into doing something you don't want to do."_

_She took in his words, analyzing each one. She still didn't know what the whole problem was. He knew that she would do anything for him and she just assumed that he was willing to ask for that anything. She knew that something had to be up when he didn't want to ask her. Eric was never one to beat around the bush. "Well why don't you just ask me?"_

_"What if I asked that you let Pam and I throw you that birthday party?" He asked her._

_"I would ask you why." She replied cautiously. _

_"What if I told you it was for those very reasons that Pam already stated and you rejected?" He asked. "You are my bonded as well as my girlfriend. That gives you a respected station in the vampire community. For a Sheriff as powerful as I am and for such a highly valued asset to the King as you are; things like this are expected. I am expected to show deference to you and things that apply to you...like your birthday. I am expected to show this in a way that is recognized by others and a party would be the best way for that."_

_Sookie sat in Eric's lap quiet for a moment. She didn't want the party but she didn't want Eric to look bad either. She knew going into this relationship that there were things that she wouldn't want to do that she would have to endure. This was one of those things. She didn't want to do anything that showed Eric in anything but a positive light. How bad could a party be anyway...even one done on Pam and Eric's grand scale? She would be able to see all her friends, humans, vampires, and shifters alike. She would also be able to dance, and it had been a long time since she was able to dance just for the hell of it. _

_"I would say okay." She finally answered. _

_"Are you sure Sookie?" Eric asked as he rubbed circles on her back. "I don't want you to feel manipulated into this. I know you don't want a party and I can deal with whatever comes if you still do not want to have it."_

_"No, Eric." Sookie said firmly as she kissed his lips. "I knew that there were things I would have to just suck up when I agreed to date you...job and all. I don't want there to be any bad light cast on you just because of me; especially with a party that is very trivial (thank you word of the day calendar) in the grand scheme of things. We will have the party."_

_Eric pulled her into a heated kiss that made her melt into his strong arms. "Speaking of sucking things up...." _

_"Oh no Eric!" Sookie said as she slipped out his grasp. "If we are having this party there is not way that I am leaving Pam the party queen to her own devices while she plans it. I need to go tell Pam that _we_ have a party to plan."_

_She straightened her blouse as Eric pouted. She bent and kissed his bottom lip that was jutted out, sucking it into her mouth and nibbling on it. "Stay with me Sookie." Eric whispered huskily in her ear._

_"Maybe later Sheriff." She purred back, earning a low growl from Eric. She smirked and walked over to the door when something occurred to her._

_The things that Eric had said...he never actually said. He had asked her what if and she took it as the truth. _'I don't want you to feel manipulated.'_ He had told her. That didn't mean that he wasn't manipulating her, he just didn't want her to feel that way. He had to have known that she would have fought him tooth and nail like she did Pam if he just out right asked her to have party. If the things he had said what if about were true he would have just come out and told her that and reminded her that she had taken on certain obligations when she agreed to date him. After all, she was coming in eyes wide open. _

_Hmmm, she needed to see his face. She turned back around to see a small smirk playing on his lips. "Change your mind Lover?" He asked._

_"No." She replied a little too quickly, making him smile at her. "I just wanted you to know that I know what you just did." _

_His face went blank of all emotion. "Oh?"_

_"Yes. I agreed to have the party and I won't go back on my word but I won't leave you here thinking I don't know what you've done." She paused but he didn't respond so she continued talking. "I agreed to your 'what ifs'. If they were fact then you would have just come out and told me so. You have always been honest and straightforward that way. I trust your word because you have never lied to me. You said that you didn't want me to feel manipulated. That doesn't mean that you weren't manipulating me, it just meant that you didn't want me to _feel_ that way."_

_Eric's face went completely blank as he tried to assess her mood but he wasn't fast enough to keep the flash of astonishment off of his face. In that moment she knew she was right. She smiled triumphantly and if she was reading his feelings correctly, he was feeling astonishment at the fact (she guessed) that she still agreed even though she knew what he was doing or at the fact that she figured him out. He was also feeling pride, love and desire for her._

_"Very good Lover." He said with a sense of cool that she knew he wasn't feeling. "You said that you were going to go ahead with the party so am I to understand that you want something from me in return?"_

_"Yes, I want two things from you actually." She said in a strong voice. She wanted to sound more sure of herself and less like she was about to jump on his lap...but they both knew the truth._

_"Hmm, interesting." He said with amusement. He always did like it when she tried to negotiate and bargain with him...it usually worked out for his better. "Please tell me then what it is that I can do for you."_

_She knew there was no putting a spending cap on her party now that she's agreed to it so she went for something that meant more to her. "First I don't want to have this party on my birthday. We can have it the weekend before. I don't want to spend my actual birthday with people I don't know; and don't try to tell me that I won't know a lot of the people there. Both you and I know that the vampires in your area will use this as an opportunity to kiss your ass...no matter how great of an ass it is."_

_Eric laughed heartily at the end of her little mini speech. She was right there would be vampires there trying to curry his favor. He felt another burst of pride in her that she wasn't kidding herself about the world that was around her. She still believed the best in people but she wasn't the naive little girl she was when he first met her. "Agreed Lover." He said as soon as he could stop laughing enough. "Would you like me to show you my great ass? I must warn you that it doesn't come without cost...show me yours and I will show you mine."_

_"Secondly," She replied ignoring his teasing. She was irritated that her voice was an octave higher than it was supposed to be and it was due to Eric. "I want a favor, any favor of my choosing and you are to do it with no complaints."_

_This certainly stopped the chuckles Eric was unable to contain anymore. He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. Did he really expect her not to learn anything from spending so much time with him? No, it wasn't that, it was her wording. She wanted an open favor from him and she wanted him to do it with no complaints. This meant two things. She already knew what she wanted to ask him and she knew that he would not like it. He couldn't see a way around it. Sookie was a girly girl but not the type that would want to subject him to her girly tendencies. He knew she wouldn't ask him to do something that would embarrass him in his position. If he didn't agree then she wouldn't do the party, and he really wanted a chance to go all out for her without her screaming about not wanting to be a kept woman. How bad could it be?_

_"Okay, I will owe you a favor of your choice." He said._

_"And no complaints." She added when he neglected to say it._

_"And no complaints." He repeated after her. With those three words Eric sealed his fate. Sookie did indeed already know what she wanted from him as her favor but she would not tell him until the last minute. She had been wondering how she would get him to agree every since that little white envelope appeared in her mail box yesterday morning, and now she had him hook line and sinker._

_She jumped up and down excitedly that she came out on top of a deal for once with Eric. She squealed loudly when she was jumping one minute and the next Eric was in front of her barely a millimeter from her face. He waited just long enough for her brain to realize he was there before she crushed his lips onto hers. He kissed her with everything he had and Sookie was swimming in no time in the ocean of Eric. She would happily drown within him. He pinned her to the door and she wrapped her legs around his waist. _

_In the next moment the cool door was pressing into her the overheated skin of her back and she realized that her shirt was gone. Eric had ripped it off her body. His tongue didn't ask for admittance but demanded it forcefully. She happily granted it and their tongues began a fast and intricate dance that was uniquely theirs. Kissing Eric was like climbing Mt. Everest, there has been many people ahead of you but that's not the point...getting to do it at all was an experience in itself worth having and one you no doubt would ever forget. Hell you may even tell your kids about it. _

_Eric kissed his way up her jaw then teased her ear with his tongue causing a shiver to rip through her body. The lust and desire that was pouring into her from their bond was almost overwhelming. She felt as if she would never be able to reach the depth of which he actually cared for her but she knew that she could happily spend the rest of her life trying. _

_"I'm hungry Lover." He purred. "Will you feed me?"_

_She couldn't speak or move. She was barely able to manage nodding her head. She exposed her neck to him and he kissed the artery that was pulsing under her lush skin and then nipped playfully at it, though he never broke her skin._

_"That's not where I choose to dine." He murmured, barely letting his lips graze over the hollow of her neck. He bit her a little harder, causing her to cry out and buck her hips into his. "Mmm, excited Lover?"_

_He ground his hips roughly into her heated center. He couldn't help the throaty moan that escaped his lips as he felt how hot and wet she already was, even through their clothes. _

_"Eric-" Sookie gasped as she tried to remain afloat above everything that she was feeling from Eric and the sensations he was creating with his body flush up against hers. She opened her mouth several times to say something to else but her voice failed her. _

_He turned back from the door and carried Sookie back over to the couch and laid her down so that one of her legs was resting over the back and the other foot was touching the ground. She looked beautiful with her eyes filled with such want and pure unadulterated lust. Her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath, causing her lace clad breasts to move in the most delicious way. He reached forward and with a small tug the lace evaporated from her flush body. Newly free her breasts called to him and he knew there was no way to ignore it. He fell to his knees between her open legs. He brought his mouth to her pert right nipple as if it was pulling his mouth to it. His tongue twirled and danced with her hard nipple as he mimicked his passionate kisses. His free hand found her left breast and began stroking and pinching and teasing that one too._

_"Ahhh Eric...mmm so good...yesss!" Sookie moaned as Eric began nipping his way towards her left breast were his hand was moving as fluidly as his tongue. He sucked her left nipple into his mouth and Sookie thought he was trying to kill her. Everywhere his body came into contact with hers was set on fire. He opened his mouth wide and brought as much as her breast as he could into his mouth. A low grunt echoed the walls as her hip bucked into Eric's waist, desperately looking for friction. She ripped the hair tie out of his hair and tangled her hands in his golden locks, pulling his mouth impossibly closer. _

_"Sookie." Eric whispered against her breast as he began kissing his way down her stomach. He circled his tongue around her bellybutton and then blew cool air on the wet trail he left, causing her body to shiver. The scent of Sookie's arousal assaulted his nose and he couldn't restrain himself anymore. He leaned back, popping open the button and zipper on her jeans before pulling them off of her in one swift movement. She was wearing matching lace panties. "Sookie." Eric growled._

_Sookie's eyes widened at the look of utter hunger and desire in Eric's eye. She shivered at what it meant he had in store for her. He reached to the top of her panties and began to pull them off agonizingly slow. He froze and inhaled deeply before his dilated eyes locked on hers. If she didn't know without a shadow of a doubt that Eric's eyes were a piercing blue, she would have sworn that they were pure black...this was going to bode very well for her._

_She didn't know what happened next. One moment she was looking at the shockingly dark eyes of Eric and in the next moment he was gone. Her hips were stinging but that didn't matter because Eric had disappeared between her legs and was licking her once from her heated opening to her hardened nub. Sookie's breath hitched and in the next moment her hands once again found Eric hair and twined themselves tightly in. Sookie was completely uninhibited. It was times like this that Eric brought out her animalistic side. Her hips bucked wildly as his tongue moved over her body with an expertise she had never experienced before. _

_"Ericericericericyesssfuckyesyesyesyes!" Sookie chanted over and over again as Eric moved one hand to hold her hips steady. _

_It was good that he was a vampire because with the way Sookie's hips were bucking it would probably have broken a human's nose...that is if they hadn't already suffocated from the force she was using to push his tongue deeper into his personal Heaven. Did he give a shit? Fuck no; he would gladly drown over and over in her heated core if it were possible. She tasted unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Sookie was the one woman he had no issues kneeling before. Hell if she would let him he would show his whole area exactly why he loved it so...scratch that, he would have to kill everyone who ever saw her in such a manner. Maybe he could start with Bill Compton...._

_Eric closed his lips around her hardened nub and began to tease it with his teeth. Sookie cried out and he slipped two fingers into her dripping center__,__ moving them horribly slow._

_"Eric!" She growled warningly._

_"Tell me Lover." Eric purred and then moaned. The vibrations from his lips created an insane feeling against that tiny bundle of nerves. _

_"Fuck!" Sookie cried out._

_Eric added a third finger, thrusting them into her with more force and curling them so he could hit that sweet bulls eye that made her come undone so easily. After another soft "fuck" and a moan of his name he managed to push Sookie beyond coherent words. Perfect. She was just where he wanted her. Her blood was singing in her arteries calling him to bite her. It took all the strength and restraint that he's practiced and honed for the last thousand years to keep himself in check. Sookie's blood anytime is mind blowing. Sookie's blood seasoned with the peak of her orgasm is completely beyond words and description.  
He can tell that Sookie is getting closer as her panting speeds up and her hands tightens in his hair. Eric changes up his motions as he removes his fingers and replaces them with his tongue. Sookie's body jerks at the sudden different sensation and she cries out even louder when his fingers find her clit and begin rubbing small circles. Eric stays conscious of the pressure he uses in his fingers as he teases her, he doesn't want to push her body to go faster...no he would prefer to bide his time and wait for the massive explosion._

_Sookie is beyond comprehension of anything that has nothing to do with Eric touching her body. As he thrust his thick tongue in and out of her she rides his face with an ecstasy that she has only felt with Eric. "No...ungh" She says but can't get her mouth to form the other word she wants. Eric seems to understand as her body starts shaking under his. He knew she was close, her blood was singing its song even louder and it was becoming unbearable. _

_Sookie's body trembled even harder and she seized in Eric's arms. Right there. That's what he's been waiting for. Her body had given him the alley oop and now was the time for him to give that perfect dunk that could only be performed by partners who knew every part of one another. He pulled his tongue from deep within her and bit the femoral artery that had taunted him so. Her sweet blood exploded into Eric's mouth. It was like the world shifted on its axis and only he knew it. His chest rumbled with pleasure and he drew deeply from his bite. Every draw of Sookie's blood caused aftershocks to rip through her body over and over again as she had the same disconnect Eric did, and her world too turned on its axis. She pushed his head into her leg with shaky hands and Eric fed greedily from her._

_Soon an internal alarm he set for himself sounded off in his head. This brought him back to reality. More than anything Eric never wanted to hurt Sookie. Being as old as he was meant that he didn't need nearly as much blood as younger vampires. So when he gorged himself on Sookie's blood like this it was the equivalent of drinking about two cups of her blood; far far more than what he needed to exist and still less than someone younger (like Bill) would have taken. Feeding regularly from Sookie he was able to measure how much he could take from her without affecting her. So he knew that if he didn't quit now, she would be dragging in the morning and he didn't want her tired. So with a sigh of regret he took one last draw before retracting his fangs._

_Eric made sure to use his sharp teeth to cut his tongue and laved his bite mark, instead of just licking it, so that it would disappear completely from her skin. He knew that Sookie was still trying to come down from her impossible high. He began to lick the sweet smelling evidence of her orgasm, causing little whimpers to erupt from Sookie's lips. She sounded as if she had been overdosed, and he loved that he was the cause of that. He ignored her weak pulling on his hair and began to clean her the best way he knew how, this time bringing her to a more soft release with his name barely coherent on her lips. She pulled a little harder on his hair and he moved up her body. She cradled his head against her breasts and he rested between her legs. She always wanted him close after he shattered her every reality the way she loved for him to do._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

_***********_

She loved feeling the weight of his body laying on her after such an intense experience.

Sookie remembered the night of her first successful bargain with Eric and it still sent shivers through her body. Standing completely stunned at the mess in front of her Sookie had thought that she made a great deal...the aftermath was certainly mind blowing, but maybe she had made some unanticipated mistake. This is definitely not what she expected when she came home from her kidnapping trip with Pam.

Eric was completely covered in powders and what looked like chocolate. His beautiful golden hair was clumped up together with streaks of brown and white going all through it. Several things came to mind for her but her mouth and brain was not on the same wave length. It looked as if a tornado and a hurricane had it out and her kitchen was the setting of the brawl. Again she tried to speak and again words failed her. It looked as if he had slipped and caught himself on the counter. A big splotch of chocolate had coated his neck and chest where she guessed he tried to save the contents of the bowl. They looked at each other in complete surprise but, as usual, Eric recovered first. He straightened up and set the bowl on the counter. She could tell that he was trying to find the right way to approach the situation so that she wouldn't loose it on him.

Finally she was no longer struck mute, though she didn't have words either. Sookie doubled up in laughter. The bewildered look on Eric's face as he tried to figure out why she was laughing just sent her further into hysterics. Her purse and shopping bags hit the floor forgotten when Sookie was no longer able to hold them. She gasped for breath. "What the...hell..." Before she could finish another burst of laughter came on.

Eric couldn't help the smirk that spread onto his face as Sookie's levity crashed into him through their bond. All and all he would rather deal with a laughing Sookie than a Sookie that was pissed and yelling at him like he was a freaking three year old. She kept trying to speak but he could only make out the words "cooking" and "Eric" mixed in with a few phrases he thought equated to "why the hell". Sookie's legs gave way and soon she was splayed on the floor rolling from side to side in laughter. He could feel the pangs of discomfort as her sides began to cramp up. He understood her amusement but it wasn't _that_ funny.

Sookie tried to take deep breaths and sober herself but the growing stern face of Eric was not helping matters. He didn't like being laughed at but at the same time she couldn't see to stop. She clutched her sides and tried to get to her feet as she forced herself to take deep breath to get her laughter to slow. When she got up she was red in the face and her eyes were watering. When her eyes found Eric little bursts of laughter escaped her but she was able to clamp down on it. Eric narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously and another giggle escaped Sookie.

"Eric," She took another deep breath so she couldn't laugh. "Eric, what were you doing?"

Slow enough so that she could see it coming Eric grabbed the open bag of flour and threw it over her head and with lightning speed a life sailed through the heart of the bag. A sea of white exploded over Sookie's shocked face. This time it was Eric's booming voice breaking the silence of the night with his loud laughter. Sookie narrowed her eyes at him dangerously and glared. "That's what I've been doing Lover." Eric said trying his best to sound innocent.

They regarded each other. She insulted him with her laughter when all he was trying to do was surprise her. He made her look like a live snowman and destroyed her kitchen. Neither was going to let this stand. In the same moment they lunged for their weapons. Chocolate, sugar, eggs and cake filled the air. Sookie dived for the sink to grab the sprayer and turn it on Eric but he was slinging handfuls of his chocolate icing at her. They fought hard. They fought dirty. Eric used his vampire speed to dodge Sookie and she flashed him in distraction.

Eric found more flour in the cabinets and used it to fill the air. It was hard to see as Sookie tried to quietly move around the kitchen. She knew Eric could see her and that she had to move. She moved around to the table and was preparing to sprint for the door, but Eric had her number. He crouched by the counter and waited for her to take her chance...NOW!

Sookie knew she couldn't wait any longer and with all the strength in her legs she sprung forth towards the door leading to the living room. She moved with the speed and grace of an arrow shot from a bow, all the blood exchange between her and Eric clearly showing. As fast as she was Eric would always be faster. She didn't make it two feet before Eric's strong arms wrapped around her body. He spun them around back to the table laying Sookie back forcefully on the table. He loomed over her, his body pressed against hers as he stood between her legs.

"Going somewhere Lover?" He asked with a wicked smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it." She replied with a surprised gasp at the change in position.

"Indeed." Eric said. He pressed against her body a little harder, causing her breath to hitch. "Can I ask why you laughed at me when I was trying to make you a surprise that wouldn't send you into a tizzy?"

"A tizzy?" Sookie asked with a smile. Some words you just never expect to hear from a thousand year old viking...and tizzy was definitely in the top five. Eric wasn't having it though and he ground his hips into hers. She was unable to stop the loud moan from escaping and she remembered that she was wearing a dress. She had never been more thankful for that decision in her life.

"Answer me." Eric demanded.

"Sorry I laughed at you Eric." Sookie said solemnly but Eric could still feel the amusement flowing through their bond and he knew she didn't mean it. He bit her suddenly on the neck, not hard enough to break the skin but hard enough to make her cry out. Her hips bucked against him causing them both to groan.

"You are lying my Lover," Eric purred in her ear. "You aren't sorry at all...but you will be."

"What were you doing?" Sookie asked him. She needed a distraction while she formulated a plan. Tonight was her birthday, which meant that she gets her way. He was going to be the one at her mercy, not the other way around.

"I don't think so Lover." Eric replied. "The time for questions and answers has past."

"I don't think so Eric." Sookie replied deciding to take a page from Eric and just going with the straight forward method. "Tonight is my night, not yours." Eric pulled his head back from her neck to look at her and Sookie wrapped her legs tightly around his waist.

"Is that right?" Eric asked with an arrogant smirk.

Sookie didn't bother answering him; Eric was a "prove it" kind of man and that exactly what she planned on doing. She opened the bond as much as she could, using all the methods that Eric had taught her, and she poured all her love and desire and pure unadulterated lust as hard as she could to him. Eric groaned loudly at the onslaught of Sookie's feelings and she watched as his blue eyes dilated with want but before he could take control of the situation Sookie crashed her lips into his. As she began rotating her hips under his, making the denim of his jeans press into her heated center in the most delicious way, Sookie thrust her tongue into Eric mouth and dominated his tongue in his surprise. Her hands wanted to knot themselves in his long locks so badly but she kept her wits about her.

She and Eric had exchanged blood on several occasions since they made their relationship official. Sookie had never been so strong and fast. She of course came no where near a vampire but she was strong enough to rip the shirt right off Eric's back, and that's exactly what she did. Eric's tongue began battling hers in a complicated dance but Sookie was determined to hold her own against him. The material of his shirt ripped easily from his body. She ran her hands over the smooth, flexing contours of Eric's broad and muscular back. His hands were stroking her hair and massaging her sides and she felt the results of the movement in his back. As much as Eric learned about pleasing Sookie and her body, Sookie had learned just as much. She was a silent student and now she was going to use everything she'd ever learned from him.

She wrapped her arms around his body, her hands resting just below his shoulder blades and as hard as she could manage she dug her fingers into his skin and scratched him down his back. Eric growled harshly, breaking their heated kiss. His back arched and he flung his head back as his harsh growl filled the night air. This was exactly what Sookie was waiting for and she took her chance and bit down on his exposed neck. With a groan from Eric his blood filled Sookie's mouth and she drank from her bonded. Eric ripped away all of Sookie's clothes and his own jeans and with one quick thrust he filled Sookie completely. She swallowed the blood that was in her mouth and cried out. "Ahhh, Eric!"

"Mmm, more." Eric replied huskily lifting her head back to the closing wound. Sookie pressed her lips back to the wound she had made, his blood wetting her lips, and then she sank her teeth into him once again. This time it was easier, already having his blood flowing within her. Eric's sweet blood flow thickly into her mouth again and she sucked greedily. She could feel it strengthening her limbs. Eric began moving with small thrusts within her, careful not to move so much that Sookie would loose her grip on his wound.

Waves of ecstasy crashed into him over and over again. With every small thrust Sookie met him, still grinding her hips into his. Hums of her pleasure made his blood dance. He couldn't wait anymore his fangs flicked out. Eric's mounting pleasure was bouncing around the bond intensifying it as the bond itself strengthened with every mouthful she swallowed. Sookie took a long pull and with a guttural growl Eric sank his teeth into the junction of her neck and shoulder.

"Oh god Eric!" Sookie cried out as waves of pleasure poured over her from Eric. He didn't answer her but he lifted her head back to his neck. His thrust became harder and harder, pushing them both closer to their mounting eruption. Sookie bit harder on Eric's neck and clamped down on his throbbing cock as she scratched his back harder. A low growl vibrated Eric's entire frame as whole body throbbed. With one more hard thrust Eric spilled his cool seed deep within Sookie as her body seized and she came around him.

She tore her mouth from Eric's neck and laid her head back on the table, looking up at the ceiling. She had never had so much of Eric's blood before, not even when they were in Jackson and she drank from him to heal her wound. Everything was unbelievable. She could feel every part of his tongue as he licked the wounds he made at the base of her neck; the texture of his silky skin that moved against hers as he slowed his breathing. More than that she could feel the strength he'd implanted in her muscles. She felt alive and powerful and invulnerable. Before she drank from him tonight her extra strength and speed was waning because though they shared blood, it wasn't habitual. Now, he'd unwittingly given her all the tools she needed to assert her birthday fun.

"Eric," Sookie said trying to make her voice as silky as she could. He pulled back and looked in her eyes. "You've been around humans long enough to know that the birthday girl gets whatever it is she wants." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "And I am no different."

Eric's eyes were piercing as he gazed deeply into Sookie's. She could feel and see his confusion and before it could click into clarity Sookie put both hands on Eric's right shoulder and pushed with all the strength she had in him. His body flew to the side and she watched as he agilely twisted his body midair and landed in a crouch by the door that leads to the rest of the house. In the next moment Sookie was off the table and jumped right into Eric's arms.

"Is this you being dominant Lover?" Eric asked as he wrapped his arms around her. "I think I may have to teach you a few things about domination Sookie."

"Is that right?" Sookie asked with a coy smile.

"Yes," Eric replied as he walked back into the kitchen. "And the first lesson should be that it would be easier to dominate someone when they are not the ones that are holding you in their arms."

"Well I had an idea about that." She said as her legs swung on either side of his waist.

"And what was that?" He couldn't help but ask. Sookie always had a way of being inventive when she wanted something and he was interested in what her little mind came up with in order to dominate him. He wasn't one for being dominated...at least not before Sookie.

Sookie had been swinging her legs back and forth on either side of Eric as he stood in the middle of her destroyed kitchen. She shifted closer until she was only an inch away from his face and her feet were hanging behind the back of his knees. She smiled again and kicked her legs out, snapping them back into the back of his knee. His knees buckled and they fell to the ground. He could have caught them but he was too busy laughing, she hadn't let him down.

"You taught me to always have a plan of some kind." Sookie said as she leaned forward. She knew that he wouldn't let that sentence go without some kind of retort so she killed it before it could even be spoken by covering his mouth with hers. Eric met her kiss with all the passion she poured into it. He granted access to her insistent tongue, deepening the kiss between them. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her mouth as his tongue danced with hers as only he could.

His already hard cock was pressing against her backside and his hands were holding her tight. She never wanted to move but she knew she had to. With all the strength she possessed she pulled away from Eric's persistent mouth. His eyes were so intense she thought he would be able to set something on fire. She shifted her weight back so that she was hovering right over his proud erection. She reached between her legs and grabbed his gracious plenty, holding it firmly, and she pressed it against her wet heated core.

"Feel how wet you make me?" She asked. Eric groaned a soft "fuck" as he tightened his hands on her waist. "Only for you Eric." She swept his hands away with her free hand and he let her, clinching his hands into tight fists. She positioned him at her entrance and then leaned down; her lips were just to the side of his chin. "Only you can ever make me feel like this, make my body respond like this. I am yours, always." She pulled back so that she could look into his eyes that were dark as flint. "And Eric, you are _mine_!"

With that last word she thrust her body backward onto his awaiting gracious plenty. He filled and stretched every inch of her as he entered her completely. They both groaned loudly at the sensations they were causing within each other.

"Sookie." Eric managed as Sookie's body shifted and relaxed around him but she'd already began moving. She lifted her body up and down on him fast. He tried to put his hands back on her hips to help guide her but every time she knocked his hands away from her.

"Ahhh Eric! You feel so good!" Sookie moaned as she quickened her pace. She could tell by the look in his eyes that it was taking all his strength to keep from touching her and she wondered how long he would allow her to do this. She was laying claim to him and she loved it. The fact that it was Eric she was dominating made it all the sweeter because he was always Mr. Control.

He couldn't take it anymore and he grabbed Sookie's waist roughly, abruptly spinning them over so that he was on top. His thrusts were hard and quick. "Oh fuck...ungh oh god, Eric..." Sookie moaned. Her body twisted under his, meeting his every thrust and grinding her hips into his. Eric grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, changing the tables on her, he was never one to be willingly dominated...not even by Sookie. The sounds coming from Sookie was like music to his ears as he played her body like his favorite song.

Sookie however wasn't giving up. She had proven time and time again to be the only one willing to go toe to toe with the Viking when everyone else coward in front of him. She used her renewed strength to roll them to the side until she was on top. Both she and Eric were being covered in all the baking contents that covered the floor, and every other surface in the kitchen. When Sookie was repositioned on top her knee knocked into something hard. She looked over to see the glass bowl that held the icing. Without thinking Sookie swiped her hand through it and spread the chocolate substance over Eric's chest including his nipples.

She slowed her thrusts and grabbed his hands that had once again gone to her hips. This time instead of just swatting them away she kept hold of them spreading them straight out. She wasn't nearly as tall as him so she couldn't pin them over his head. The span of her arms was not as long as his so she had to let her hands slide from his wrists to his elbows. Slowly she bent forward, licking the chocolate icing off the smooth expanse of his chest. She made sure to keep moving, she couldn't stop if she wanted to. When she reached his nipple she took care to tease it and nibble on it just like he liked it. An appreciative rumble emanated from his chest as she made her way from one nipple to the other.

"Always best." Eric said as she cleaned the last of the chocolate off his chest. "This is always best."

"You have no idea." Sookie replied. She lifted herself until only the head of his thick cock was still buried within her warmth and then slammed herself down on him as hard as she could. Their names escaped one another's lips as Sookie continued to roughly move up and down on Eric with Eric thrusting up each time and meeting her half way. "Ahh, Eric!" Sookie cried out.

"Give into me Lover." Eric encouraged. He could feel her orgasm building just as strongly as his and he _would_ make her submit...whether she knew it or not.

"Yesericericericeric....so-fuck!" Sookie all but screamed. Eric's thumb found her nub and he began to rub slow circles. Her body jerked as her pleasure intensified...this was not what she had in mind. He was changing the tables on her.

Sookie knocked his hand away and ground her hips into his. Careful not to extricate the gracious plenty from his preferred home she moved around into the reverse cowboy position. She braced herself with her hands on Eric's knees. She moved up and down once and they both groaned at the new sensations it evoked between them. "Ahh, so big...fuck...so good..." Sookie managed when Eric started rotating his hips as she came down, looking for that sweet spot he knew was hidden within.

"Uh so tight and wet." Eric moaned to her.

"Only for you." Sookie replied.

Eric's thrusts became harder and more insistent, each time pushing her further and further forward. Eric gripped her hips, pulling her back on him harder and harder. Their grunts and moans filled the air. More, he needed more. He thrust deep within Sookie, pushing her even further forward. Eric lifted her up and in the blink of an eye he was behind her in the doggy style position. Without preamble Eric began driving into her deep and hard and fast. She was so much shorter than him but it was no problem, he just lifted her hips to meet his thrusts leaving Sookie to support her weight on her hands.

Eric was giving Sookie everything he dared without hurting her and Sookie was giving it all back just as fiercely. They tumbled through the kitchen, changing positions over and over again; both trying to dominate the other without success. They were completely covered in what seemed to be every food item Sookie owned. Eric never did play fair though. He picked Sookie up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He didn't lean her against the wall or any other surface that she could get traction. With his hands on her hips, he moved her back and forth on him.

Sookie's thought process was becoming incoherent. She was right on the brink and she knew that Eric was too, they both were running out of time. She used the same idea that worked for her earlier in the night and flung her feet into the back of his knees. Just like before they buckled at the unexpected contact. Unlike before, however, Eric didn't hit the ground but floated parallel to the floor. Sookie was heaving heavily as she tried to get herself under control.

"Ahhh!" Sookie screamed, more out of surprise than fear. She looked over his shoulder to see the floor looming two feet below them. "See you're the only man who can sweep me off of my feet Eric."

Eric laughed and shook his head. "That was the worse joke I've ever heard Sookie. I wouldn't quit my day job if I were you."

"But you want me to quit my day job."

"Point taken."

Slowly Sookie began to grind her hips against Eric's, the fact that he was still deep inside her caused the most divine sensations to flow through them both.

"Are you still trying to dominate me Lover?" Eric asked in a husky voice.

"No," She replied honestly. "Now, I'm just trying to love you."

"I can help you with that."

Eric placed both of his hands on either side of Sookie's face and kissed her with all the sincerity in his heart; it hasn't beat in over a thousand years but with Sookie it sang constantly. Together as one, they moved together; moving up and down, in and out with ease, patience, and love. Eric turned them over and over in slow circles as they stop trying to dominate and started making love to one another. Sookie locked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as their mouths joined and their tongues did a peaceful and intricate dance that only they seemed to know.

They let their love and desire bounce and rebound all around their bond. Slowly they pushed one another over that blissful cliff that just minutes before they had been foolishly trying to fight. Eric didn't bite her but allowed his head to fall to her shoulder as he held her almost impossibly tighter. Eric began to lower them to the ground, flipping them over so that he was on the bottom.

"No." Sookie said quietly. "Do you think that we can just float here for a while?" Sookie asked as she snuggled her head in just below her chin.

"Anything you want Lover." Eric replied. They lay in each others arms like that for a while.

"I really do love you Eric." Sookie said earnestly. She kissed his adam's apple and then laid her head back where it was.

"I love you more than you will ever know my lover, my Sookie." Eric replied as he ran his hands through her sticky and food soaked hair.

"You were going to make me a home made chocolate cake." She said it more like a statement instead of like a question because she already knew it to be true.

"Yes, I know how you hate feeling like a kept woman but I wanted you to have something special I thought that if I made the cake you would see more than the gift but the feeling behind it." She didn't realize that she was even crying until Eric wiped the moisture from her eyes.

"I love you." She repeated because she couldn't think of anything else to convey what she meant so clearly and accurately. Eric took a deep breath and kissed her hair.

"And I you my love." He replied. They lay in mid air completely wrapped around one another and completely at peace with one another.

Suddenly the unconditional favor popped into her head and she thought that her chances to bring it up wouldn't get any better than this right now. "Eric I know what I want to ask you for my unconditional favor."

"What's that Lover?" Eric asked lazily as he enjoyed the feeling of her naked body against his as they floated peacefully in the air. He was rubbing small circles all over her skin watching it flush under his touch. "Ask me Lover, I am already pledged to do your bidding." Eric encouraged. He had been hoping for a vacation of some sort or maybe she would make him her slave for a while...he would love that. However he knew well enough how Sookie liked to take him off guard and not always in a good manner. Her next words would determine his Heaven or his Hell...."

"Would you come with me to my ten year high school reunion?" She asked in a rushed voice, as if she thought that if speaking fast would keep her words from soaking into his head. Eric stiffened around her, losing his concentration. With a loud smack they hit the floor, though Eric's body cushioned the blow for Sookie. He looked at her incredulously. He didn't know about a lot of human traditions but it wasn't exactly rocket science to put the meaning of her words together. She wanted to lock him in the room with a bunch of hostile, close minded hicks who would like nothing more than to stake him and cart Sookie off to a mental institution. Why would she want to go to something like that? Wasn't high school supposed to be torture? More than any of that...why did _he_ have to be subjected to the most menial of human idea? He looked into her eyes and it seemed as if she could read his every thought and see his every argument. She proved him right when she spoke the two most boring and powerful words to him.

With an angelic smile she secured his place in Hell..."Unconditional favor."


End file.
